Integrated circuits (IC) device and circuit chips generate heat during operation. If a sufficient quantity of such heat is not transferred away, the functional integrity of an integrated circuit or circuit chip can be compromised.
One method of removing heat from integrated circuit chips involves conducting heat away from microprocessor chips to a heat exchanger, or heat sink (HS), via a thermal interface material. The HS, which is usually located above the chip circuitry to be cooled, is thermally coupled to the chip circuitry by means of at least one thermal interface material (TIM). For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,724,078 and 6,504,723 each disclose using an indium solder, having a melting temperature of 157° C., as a TIM material. However, the structures and processes disclosed in those patents require metallization on both the back of the chip as well as on the Cu lid or heat sink. Such metallization creates additional manufacturing cost and complexity.